The Best Rolex Day-Date Alternative Watches
Perhaps one of the most recognizable luxury watches on the planet, the Rolex Day-Date, a.k.a. the Rolex President, has been a mainstay of the brand’s catalog since 1956. Named after its pair of calendar windows and exclusively available in precious metals, the Day-Date has become the quintessential “I’ve made it” timepiece, synonymous with power and prestige. Although it can be argued that the well-defined style of the Day-Date makes it challenging to find decent substitutes, there are indeed a few out there. So whether you are waiting for the right time to buy a Rolex President or already own one and are simply interested to know what else is out there, then read on for the best Rolex Day-Date alternative watches.
Key Design Traits of the Rolex Day-Date
So, what makes the Day-Date so recognizable? For one thing, while Rolex has certainly updated it with improved mechanics and materials over the decades, looks-wise it has remained largely the same since its debut in the 1950s. The key characteristics of modern Rolex Day-Date President watches are as follows:
- Precious metal cases (gold or platinum) water-resistant to 100 meters
- Case sizes: 36mm or 40mm
- Dials with an arched day window at 12 o’clock and date window at 3 o’clock, complete with Cyclops magnification lens
- Three-link President bracelet, exclusively made in precious metals
- Fluted or diamond-set bezels
- Various dial colors, option for diamond settings
- Automatic movement
- 2023 Retail Prices: Day-Date 36 starting at $35,000, Day-Date 40 starting at $38,500.
President Price Guide: How Much Does a Rolex Day-Date Cost? The Ultimate Rolex Day Date Price Guide
The Day-Date lineup was once more varied. For instance, Rolex made “Masterpiece” versions with 39mm cases and Pearlmaster bracelets. What’s more, Rolex also made color-coordinating leather straps with select Day-Date 36 models. Smooth bezels used to be an option too. Finally, the short-lived Day-Date II collection featured 41mm cases. All of these variations have been discontinued by Rolex, but of course, they can still be found on the secondary market.
Alternatives to the Rolex Day-Date
As always with our alternative articles, we’re not focusing on finding cheap substitutes or second-rate homages; these are all top-notch watches from fantastic watchmakers, including a few that are more expensive than the Day-Date.
Tudor Glamour Date+Day
Let’s start at the same place as we always do when looking at solid Rolex alternatives — Tudor, keeping it in the same family. If we dig into the Tudor catalog, sitting aside the company’s beloved sports watches is an assortment of somewhat overlooked dressier watches. This includes the Glamour Date+Day, which as the name suggests, includes a duo of calendars to indicate the date and the day — just like the Rolex Day-Date.
What’s more, like the Rolex President, the Glamour Date+Day includes an arched window at 12 for the day of the week and a square window at 3 for the date. You can even opt for diamond hour markers if that’s your thing. However, unlike the Presidential watch, Tudor’s offering is available in stainless steel and two-tone steel/yellow gold. Furthermore, the Glamour Date+Day is fitted with a five-link Jubilee-style bracelet or a leather strap and its case measures 39mm. An affordable alternative to the Day-Date, the Tudor Glamour Date+Day is mighty close in design to its more famous and expensive counterpart from Rolex.
Tudor Glamour Date+Day Specs
| Reference Series | 5600x |
| Case Size | 39mm |
| Materials | Stainless steel or two-tone steel/yellow gold |
| Dial Colors | Opaline, black, champagne, silver |
| Functions | Date, day, center hour, minute, seconds hands |
| Movement | Automatic |
| Water Resistance | 100 meters (330 feet) |
| Bracelet | 5-link bracelet, leather strap |
| 2023 Retail Prices | $2,575 to $4,775 |
Tudor Royal
Yes, we’ve selected another option from Tudor. However, this time, we’re highlighting the Tudor Royal, which is more in line with the old-school Rolex Oysterquartz Day-Date watches thanks to the similar angular cases and integrated bracelets. Of course, the Tudor Royal is an automatic watch, not a quartz one but the overall design similarity is certainly there.
While Tudor offers the Royal in various sizes, it’s the 41mm models that include the pair of day and date indicators — again, displayed identically to the Rolex Day-Date with an arched aperture at 12 and a square one at 3. The Royal even has a notched bezel, somewhat comparable to the fluted bezel of the Day-Date. The most obvious difference again is the material options; Tudor’s selection is available in steel or steel/yellow gold while Rolex’s President is, as we said, only made in gold or platinum.
Tudor Royal Specs
| Reference Series | 2860x |
| Case Size | 41mm |
| Materials | Stainless steel or two-tone steel/yellow gold |
| Dial Colors | Chocolate brown, blue, salmon, silver, black, champagne |
| Functions | Date, day, center hour, minute, seconds hands |
| Movement | Automatic |
| Water Resistance | 100 meters (330 feet) |
| Bracelet | Integrated five-row bracelet |
| 2023 Retail Prices | $2,525 to $4,500 |
Breitling Premier Automatic Day & Date 40
The Breitling Premier collection has been gaining plenty of traction these days by offering a generous assortment of elegant models that include chronographs, tourbillions, complete calendars, moonphases, and so on. For our purposes, we look to the Breitling Premier Automatic Day & Date 40 as a solid alternative to the Rolex Day-Date.
What we have here is a 40mm steel watch, available with either a black or silver dial all featuring a day indicator at 12 o’clock with the name spelled out in full and a date window at 6 o’clock. The overall design is a lot more low-key than the Presidential, especially given it’s made from a more humble metal, but the required calendar pairing is present.
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Breitling Premier Automatic Day & Date 40 Specs
| Reference Series | A453402 |
| Case Size | 40mm |
| Materials | Stainless steel |
| Dial Colors | Black, silver |
| Functions | Date, day, center hour, minute, seconds hands |
| Movement | Automatic |
| Water Resistance | 100 meters (330 feet) |
| Bracelet | 7-link bracelet, leather strap |
| 2023 Retail Prices | $4,450 to $5,300 |
Omega Aqua Terra Day-Date
Omega’s alternative to the Rolex Day-Date watch is a handsome one. If you haven’t already, meet the Omega Aqua Terra Day-Date with a 41.5mm case that’s water-resistant (like all Aqua Terra models) to 150 meters. The dial is home to an arched day aperture at 12 o’clock, however, the date is placed at 6 o’clock rather than 3.
Like the Rolex President, the Aqua Terra is available in full gold, albeit red and not yellow or rose gold, complete with a matching gold bracelet. However, you can also opt for a leather strap, in which the watch will look quite similar to the now-discontinued Everose gold Rolex Day-Date 118135 on a leather strap that was released in 2017.
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Omega Aqua Terra Day-Date Specs
| Reference Series | 231.53.42, 231.50.42 |
| Case Size | 41.5mm |
| Materials | Red gold, two-tone steel/red gold |
| Dial Colors | Silver, brown-grey |
| Functions | Date, day, center hour, minute, seconds hands |
| Movement | Automatic |
| Water Resistance | 150 meters (500 feet) |
| Bracelet | 3-link bracelet, leather strap |
| 2023 Retail Prices | $11,200 to $41,200 |
A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus
Perhaps this is a pick that’s a little out of left field, but if you think about it, the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus does exactly what the Rolex Day-Date does — indicate the time, day of the week, and date of the month. Yes, Lange’s approach to calendar indication is more dramatic as illustrated by the oversized windows on the left and right sides of the dial and there’s a small seconds subdial, but again, it’s just a different layout for the functions.
The Odysseus is available in steel, titanium, and white gold, all featuring 40.5mm cases. The white gold version is fitted with a rubber strap while the other two come with matching 5-link bracelets. Regardless of the specific version, these are the sportiest models from the renowned German watchmaker, and like all A. Lange & Söhne watches, they are expensive.
A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Specs
| Reference Series | 363.xxx |
| Case Size | 40.5mm |
| Materials | Stainless steel, titanium, white gold |
| Dial Colors | Blue, ice-blue, grey |
| Functions | Oversized date, oversized day, center hour and minute, running seconds hands |
| Movement | Automatic |
| Water Resistance | 120 meters (400 feet) |
| Bracelet | 5-link bracelet, rubber strap |
| 2023 Retail Prices | $30,900 to $56,500 |
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5205
For the most expensive alternative to the Rolex Day-Date, we turn to Patek Philippe. While Patek doesn’t make a watch with only date and day indicators, what the watchmaker does offer is annual calendar timepieces that include those displays in addition to the month and moonphase. Take the beautiful Patek Philippe Annual Calendar ref. 5205 for instance, which is available in white with a blue dial or rose gold with a green dial.
Those dials hosts a trio of windows in an arched layout at 12 o’clock to indicate the day, date, and month whereas just above 6 o’clock is a 24-hour indication subdial with a moonphase display. In short, the Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5205 is a much dressier, more complicated, and pricier alternative to the Rolex Day-Date watch.
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5205 Specs
| Reference Series | 5205 |
| Case Size | 40mm |
| Materials | White gold, rose gold |
| Dial Colors | Blue-black, olive green |
| Functions | Annual calendar. Day, date, and month in apertures. Moon phases. 24-hour indication. Center hour, minute, and seconds hands. |
| Movement | Automatic |
| Water Resistance | 30 meters (100 feet) |
| Bracelet | Leather strap |
| 2023 Retail Prices | $57,370 |
Buying Rolex Day-Date Alternatives from the Grey Market
Although most will agree that there’s only one Rolex Day-Date watch and nothing comes close, it’s interesting (at least, to me) to note how many alternatives are indeed available on the market. Plus, if you shop the grey market, you can often find some great deals on a wide range of brands, including the ones we listed above. Conversely, older Rolex Day-Date watches are also a great option, often priced much less than modern references.
Other Guides to Rolex Alternatives:
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The Best Rolex Explorer Alternatives
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